1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to broadband communication networks.
2. Prior Art
Data packet transmission uses a known preamble field at the beginning of each packet to allow a receiver to determine certain characteristics of the signal or channel. The preamble does not communicate any user information and is overhead that reduces the bandwidth efficiency of the system. Among the characteristics determined through processing of the preamble are: start of packet time, carrier frequency offset, bit timing, channel response, and signal amplitude. A longer preamble enables the determination of unknown parameters with greater precision, but at the expense of reducing user data capacity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,107 issued to Scott entitled “Preamble code structure and detection method and apparatus”, incorporated herein by reference, describes a preamble structure and method of processing the preamble for burst communication. This reference uses a combination of a pulse, a dead time, and a Baker sequence for the preamble.
It is desirable to minimize the length of the preamble to increase the utilization efficiency of the communication channel.